Electric furnace.



P. M. BECKET.

ELECTRIC FURNAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE e, 1908.

Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

- UNIS-ED FREDERICK u. 4Bizcizrr, or iALLs, Nn

eaases.

To, ullieuhom tty-'may :concern:

Britain, residing at Niagara Falls, :inirthe' '5 county of Niagara vand State of New York,

have invented certain newandusetul lin-r provements in Electric Furnaces, of.wliich the following isa s eciiication.

This invention De ates :to theproduction of alloysI ofthe `refractory metals, -and'theobject of the invention is to'providea'fuxmace by means .of Whi'ch'such alloys, and more par? ticul'a'rly the alloys of vanadium and tung'- sten, may be obtained with a low carbon content and with any desired proportion of iron or other alloying metal. n

In its preferred form the invention comprises an electric furnace adapted to receive a charge containing an ore of a refractory metal and a reducing agent, one or all of the electrodes consisting of iron or of an ironalloy, or other metal capable of alloying with thereduced product, provision being made forfco'oling the electrodes tofregulate their l consumption and the composition of the product, the cooling means being adjustable to regulate the cooling eifect'at the working end of the electrode.

It is well known that the refractory metals, 30 as for example vanadium and tungsten, possess a high affinity for carbon,-and that in the -jgnoductio'n of these metals or their' alloys in an'elec't'ric furnace having carbon or gra h'ite' electrodes a considerable proportion o car? lbon is absorbed by the metal or alloy, reducv ingitsvalue and limiting'its application in the arts.' Fonthe production of alloys of these metals having anyjdesired proportion of iron in excess of the proportion existing in A:40 the ores, it has been usual to incorporate me# tallic iron or iron ores with'thecharge. I h'ave'discovered 'that the alloys of the refrac- `"t`ory' metals, particularl their alloys with iron, may be economical y'and commercially A" produced by s'melting a suitable'charge by r means of an electric currentcarrie'd by an electrode or electrodes of iron serving as av source-of iron inthe alloy, cooling means' be'- ing applied to the electrodes to regulate. their E10- consumption and thereby to control the composition ofthe product. The com osition of the product may also be controlled ly adjustment of the current conditions and regulation of the temperature of the bath, or by the t. 1.7' *.l.. A 5 `Siprcication o fIIie'tters Patent. oeiginaisggpneaaon med January aliens; .serial no. massa Divided a A semi No; 437,180.

addition ofiron or ores of iron or other alloyying' metallto the charge. rThe cooling ofthe? electrodes maybe laccomplished by the use-of, l coolliiiig jackets such as are described in conynection with'lcarbon I w Yonx, Assioma To ELEcfrno METALLUBGICAL company, A conPonATroN or wasr momia.

. ELEcTRIc ,miesen ''ratonted Aug. 24,1909, m1 Athis application filed Junes, noa-, Y

electrodes in my prior patent, No. 855,441, granted June 4,1907; or any suitable cooling means may be used..A

Suitable apparatus for carrying out the" process is shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 isa vertical longitudinal section of 65 a' smelting furnace,.sh`owing two depending electrodes andv their coolingjackets; and` Fig. 2 isa vertical transverse'section of a furnace showingan electrode provided lwith two su enposed cdolingjackets: .1 f

lhe furnace shown com rises a floor and sides 1` and a roof 2 whicli may be of lirebrick. In the roof are two vertical openings 3 through which pass the cooling jackets 4, preferably of iron, which in 'turn receive the 75 electrodes 5, `6, of opposite polarity, having terminals and supports 5", 6 To the upper end of each jacket are connected pipes 7, 8, carried by a bracket 9 which is adjustably mounted on a vertical rod 10. The ipes 7, 8e 8, serve both as a means for adjusta ly supporting the jackets 4 independently of the furnace-roof and electrodes and for the supply and discharge of water or other cooling medium.

Fig; 2 shows a, modified construction in which'fthe'electrode is provided with two superposed cooling jackets 3, 3'., The lower jacket is clamped within a ring 11 which is carried by arms 12 adjustably supported at 90 their outer ends upon vertical rodslO. The upper j acketi's preferably split longitudinally on the 'line 13 and the two sections are clamped together by the ring 14.

The charge to be smelted may comprise an ore or concentrate'containing a refractory metal, as'fer example an oxid ore of vanadium or tungsten,'a concentrate therefrom, or an oxid' reparedr from such ore; suliid ores of-vana ium or oxygen-containing roducts prepared therefrom ,1 and a suitable reducing agent, as carbon, silicon, ferro-silicon, silicon carbid or the like, an acid or basic flux being usually. added in proportion to yield with the constituents of the particular ore a suitable slag. The current is preferably suficient to completelyr fuse the charge, provid- -ing a molten conductor between the electrodes, into -which fresh portions of the charge may be introduced and from beneath which the metallic roduct may be tapped he electrodes being adforward to compensate for their consumption, and su'ch consumption v1s regulated, as above stated, by varying. the cooling effect,

, as for instance yadjusting the position of the jackets relative to the working end of the electrodes; or the consumption of the electrodes may also be controlled by varying the temperature of the bath by regulating the current conditions. By such operation it is found practicable to produce alloys of the refractory metals substantially free from carbonor having a low carbon content in accordance with the composition 'of the charge7 the alloys containing any desired pro ortion of the alloying metal derived from t e electrodes. j

lWhile I have described the invention as practiced by means of metallic electrodes of opposite polarity de ending into the charge or molten bath, it wbe understood that the electrodes may be otherwise disposed, and that if desired a single depending electrode may be used, or a group of such electrodes of common polarity, the current passing to the molten product constituting the electrode of. opposite polarity.

his apparatus is a division of my prior patent No. 892,211, granted June 30, 1908.

I claim f 1. In an electric furnace, a metallic electrode, and cooling-means therefor, said cooling means adjustable to regulate the cooling eect at the Working end of the electrode.

2. In an electric furnace, a metallic electrode, supporting means therefor, and a cooling-jacket surrounding said electrode and longitudinally adjustable thereon.

3. An electric furnace comprising a work.- ing chamber, metallic electrodes of opposite polarity extending into the same, and cooling-jackets applied to said electrodes and longitudinally adjustable thereon.

- In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

. FREDERICK M. BECKET.

Witnesses: 4

DEAN BURGEss, J. N. DEINHARDT. 

